Plot
More than forty years ago, in the final issue of a cancelled series, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko introduced a bookish teenager named Peter Parker. Granted the amazing powers of a human spider, Parker donned a colorful costume to become the hero Spider-Man. Spider-Man's debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 proved so popular that he soon graduated to his own title, Amazing Spider-Man. Marvel Comics quickly has a blockbuster hit, as devoted readers became captivated with the adventures of this unique new hero.
Amazingly, after four decades, Amazing Spider-Man has only become more popular. Month after month, year after year, readers of every age continue to follow the series as passionately as ever. In 2003, the title reached a rare milestone with the publication of its 500th issue. To celebrate this historic event, Marvel Comics presents a comprehensive hardcover featuring the cover of every single issue of the series ever published.
From the very first issue, Amazing Spider-Man has always offered cover artwork by the most esteemed talents of the industry. From the earliest days of Steve Ditko and John Romita to modern-day classics by John Romita, Jr., Todd McFarlane and J. Scott Campbell, these comic-book covers have entranced readers with tantalizing hints of the story inside. Now, these five hundred covers have been richly reprinted in full color just as they originally appeared in each individual issue.
Accompanying this fine artwork is a complete year-by-year survey of Spider-Man's history, from his earliest days as a teen at Midtown High School to his college years at Empire State University to his current role as young teacher to today's youth. Since 1962, Spider-Man has evolved from a comic-book character to a worldwide pop-culture icon. Amazing Spider-Man: 500 Covers also charts the historical events that occurred throughout his publishing history, from the turbulent times of the 1960s to today.